Shrink Pointers, Needed

[Ryker]

I use llumar film-on and seldom do any cleaning of my bottles. I use RO filtered water and occasionally I'll rinse my bottles with some good old isopropyl 70%. 

 

I use Hudson tec hand held compression sprayers that I've had for many years.  

[Chilled]

So made some attempts at actually tinting, and things mostly went Ok. Side and rear windows all good, and at this point I was humbled again when I tried to do the front windshield. 

 

I tried to do some 70% Ceramic on the windshield and messed up the install. The issue I keep getting is that I keep getting dry soap/slip residue between the film and the tint. The windshield was spotless, as I spent close to 1hr cleaning it between attempts, inc using 99.8% alcohol to make sure there were no streaks or haze smears. 

 

2 times now there seems to be dry/greys-ish soap residue/bubbles that looks like it was running down the windshield/tint and it dried. Both times the residue started vertically in the middle of the windshield and the residue runs were towards the bottom edge of the glass. So it wasn't dirty or debri from the top of the window/roof when I lifted the liner and sprayed it down, as these started in the middle of the windshield. 

 

These dry soapy runs happened on both sides(D/P) but in only like 2-3 places. The top half of the window was perfect clear.

 

After I initially saw this, I decided to up both the amount of J&J I was using and the total amount of water i was dumping on both the windshield and between the liner and tint. All this did was make the film slide allot easier.

 

This residue did not look like the streaky/rainbow mess that you get if there is not enough slip, it tacks on and then you peel it off ore move it. And no it was not the moisture/white soapy bubbles. I did try to leave 1 of these attempts on the windshield for a couple fo days to try out, and as predicted this dry soapy residue did not go away.

 

Any advice/ ideas, please.

[Dano]

Pics please

[Chilled]

Sadly, no photos.  The best I can describe it as, is dried water residue on paint when you don't wipe down the car.

 

I don't think its contamination as really does look like water/soap splatter as its running down the window. As if you use the spray bottle, onto the window/tint, let it run down and that is roughly what it looks like.  The biggest sections of this residue area are in a l 5"x6" section, and all towards the middle/lower of the windshield.

 

On the first attempt, I thought it was because i didn't use enough slip mix on the adhesive when I put the liner back down. So this time I drowned it, and same goes for the windshield. It was actually kind of annoying as the tint was sliding all over the place. I had to hold the top area whilst tacking it down towards the bottom, otherwise the minute I touched it with a squeegee, it would move in that direction.

 

I did try the whole heat window from outside and try to push the air/water out, and nothing.

 

I thought it could be the slip is drying whilst I take the film inside the car, but I pre-lift both liner corners a bit before lift it half way. So that when I lift it and spray it down, i don't have to fight and try to find the liner on the other side. The time from me spraying down the first half of the windshield liner/adhesive, to in car installing, is 1-2 minute (maybe, if that). I spray the windshield when I have the film ready, so its not old slip that has dried up.

 

 

Could it be moisture/condensation in the air? Unfortunately the garage is having AC issues, so it gets really hot and humid in the car. To the point that when i'm squeegeeing it,  the tint starts getting a blue moisture/condensation hue on it. This is on the tint side, no adhesive so it goes away the minute i squeegee it, or wipe it.

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Chilled

[Dano]

Sounds like too much soap and not enough pressure. That area can be tough to get good even pressure on. The marks are likely water that trailed off the edge of the squeegee and dried in place. For good lower pressure I start with the Short Cut and finish the deepest eges with the Conquerer.

Notice how worn the tip is on the Conqerer. They work great once they get thinned down from use and can slide in for good edge work. You can break em in with a piece of denim.

 

For super deep areas and behind tail lights I'll break out one of these.

 

Wayyyy back in the day tinters would use these turds repurposed from drywall and screen printing. The yellow tool came out a few years later.

 

To this day the clear blade on this hammer is still my favorite. I think it's sold as a flat glass blade these days. Extra thick clear max-ish. The first one I remember seeing was from a screen print shop.

 

Same with the black and white card. Those would usually get cut into an angle for reaching and cut smaller for 1/4glass. 

[Chilled]

 I've been using that blue max with black handle, so no issue on force and I do have the bulldozer for the edge line. 

 

The red area is where most of the residue marks are. There is a good 6"+ of perfect clear tint between the bottom of these residue marks and the bottom/dot line. The 2nd attempt had these in only these two areas, nowhere else. The first attempt had 1 more, but again around the same height, slight different positions.

 

Granted, it does take me about 30s-1m to unroll the film and line it up, before i start to squeegee. The squeegee process does go fairly quick and smooth 30s-1min for full windshield.  Don't have any creases, or sections the tack down and then i need to re-squeegee to push other bubbles that would leave the adhesive residue rainbow. Definitely non of that tacked on cringle sound. So the initial pass tacks it down, for this i use just a banana edged hard card. Then i go over hard with the blue max/handle to get the moisture out. But even before I get the blue max, I could see the residue both times.

[highplains]

When you're squeegeeing out your film what pattern are you using and do you have any areas that try to pop back up (like a bubble or a finger) after you go over them initially?

[Chilled]

Doing the centre line down fist, starting in the middle and going up, then down.  From the middle going out to the side and when I get about half way, going 45° towards the corner.  Then I start in this corner going up for this side moving to the centre line. So doing upwards strokes, progressing outside in. Once both lower and upper sections are done, from that middle strip, going out straight to side.

 

The lift is usually in that triangle that I do last, at where I go 45°but usually once i go to the side on it, its down.

 

I did try the H pattern, and had issues. Allot of lift and re-squeegeeing that led to creasing. This angle method i tried whilst I was checking the shrink on the outside and noticed that if I tried to squeegee the film down in the H. It would take allot of effort and passes. The 45° thing made really quick, easy and no creases.

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Chilled

[Chilled]

Any ideas? Was hoping to give it a try this weekend, would rather have something new to try.

[Dano]

I tack it horizontally about 8" in the middle first, then use my free hand to streach tension towards the center side while making my initial squeegee strokes. After its streached in I re-wet the film for a second pass, followed by a hard pass on the edges with a black & blue conqueror. 

 

The film is more pliable than you might think. You can accidentally push the slack into one area and cause a bunch of fingers.